Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has credited artificial intelligence within Instagram’s ranking system for greatly enhancing the platform’s ability to deliver content that users find both relevant and engaging. This development has already shown measurable impact, contributing to a 5% increase in time spent on Facebook and a 6% increase on Instagram in the past quarter alone.
Meta has also reported a 20% year-on-year growth in video viewing time, driven by AI optimisation and the platform’s emphasis on promoting original content.
But what does this mean for business owners seeking to generate sales through Instagram?
When businesses express concerns about low engagement or limited conversions, the root cause often lies in producing content that runs counter to Meta’s broader objective: keeping the platform valuable, useful and compelling for its users.
In this article, the Digipixel team will outline how to work with Instagram’s algorithm in 2025, ensuring your brand gains visibility in the feeds of your most relevant potential customers.
How Does the Instagram Algorithm Work?
Instagram’s algorithm has often been described as Meta’s “secret recipe”. However, Meta has become more transparent by sharing insights to help users and businesses understand how its technologies, particularly artificial intelligence which shapes the platform.
Similar to other search and social platforms, Meta’s artificial intelligence uses predictive models to determine the content most relevant and valuable to each user. These models rely on signals from user behaviour and interactions to predict which content people are most likely to engage with.
How does ranking affect your content performance?
Consider this example, you run an interior design business account and regularly post content that reflects your design style. A potential client has been actively engaging with inspirational interior design content. Instagram’s ranking system recognises the connection between your content and the client’s interests, which increases the likelihood of your posts appearing in their feed.
Every user’s experience on Instagram is personalised based on their individual activity. Since preferences differ and interests change over time, the algorithm constantly adapts. This ongoing process creates new opportunities for businesses to be discovered by audiences who are most likely to connect with their content.
For many business owners, particularly small enterprises, Instagram is expected to generate direct revenue. However, the platform is increasingly positioned as a community space where people spend hours scrolling for entertainment and inspiration.
In such an environment, users are often resistant to being confronted with brands or products they do not recognise or care about.
Content That Wins with Meta’s AI Algorithm
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, has consistently highlighted that the platform is evolving into a creative space for creators. Many of Instagram’s new features and ongoing updates are shaped by feedback from creators of all sizes, from independents to large influencers.
This leads to an important question. What about those who sell on Instagram? How can business owners ensure their content gains visibility?
For many business owners, particularly small enterprises, Instagram is expected to generate direct revenue. However, the platform is increasingly positioned as a community space where people spend hours scrolling for entertainment and inspiration. In such an environment, users are often resistant to being confronted with brands or products they do not recognise or care about.
Here are some powerful tips for newly established SMEs and business owners in Singapore looking to grow their brand and reach new audiences:
- Many business owners, particularly those running small enterprises, often fall into the trap of simply showcasing products and lowering prices, forgetting that most users neither know nor care about the brand at that stage.
This highlights an important perspective: building a presence on social media is not about pushing hard sales, which usually come at the end of the funnel. Instead, it is about creating authentic content that reflects genuine effort and communicates your brand values.
Before starting any social media marketing, it is essential to consider the following:
- Ask yourself whether your brand operates within a niche or in a highly competitive space. How easy is it to enter the market given the existing competition?
- Consider how readily your product can gain traction. For example, if you are developing a fashion brand focused on bags, remember that customers often make purchasing decisions based on functionality, aesthetics, and style.
Answering these two simple questions will provide clarity not only for your content strategy but also for your overall business model.
2. The next step is to identify the people who need your products or services. In marketing terms, this is known as selecting a target audience. Many business owners believe they can sell to a wide range of audiences, but this approach is often ineffective. It is far more effective to focus on one to three target audiences whose problems can be directly addressed by your products or services.
Pro tip: Define in detail 1-3 target audiences by creating customer avatars. Consider factors such as their background, financial capability, occupation, and family situation—anything relevant that highlights their concerns and shows how your product or service can address them.
Make a Content like Content Creator, Not just a Brand
Creating content like a content creator does not mean every founder has to become an influencer. In most cases, founders use social media primarily for branding and selling their products, and this remains a key strategy in 2025.
Examples include:
- Sharing the story of the business before the product launch, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse.
- Highlighting family-owned businesses that have now been taken over by the next generation, telling the story of how their parents built the company.
This raises the question: why should founders be the first face in front of the camera besides the product itself? The answer is simple, users are inspired by people. Inspiration sparks curiosity, and curiosity encourages them to explore the product or services being offered.
Showcase Products the Influencer Way
Authenticity is what truly inspires audiences. By adopting a content creator’s mindset, you can integrate storytelling into all aspects of your content—from behind-the-scenes moments and product launches to pre-orders and customer experiences.
While the ultimate objective is conversion, the key lies in selling like an influencer: not through exaggerated claims, but by demonstrating how your product enhances the lives of potential customers.
A strong example comes from the Malaysian bag brand Terrae. Rather than relying on discounts or hard-selling, Terrae showcases the bag’s versatility and functionality. Through Jenn’s short, relatable videos, everyday activities are reframed into scenarios where the bag becomes indispensable. This approach turns casual viewers—even those who had no prior intention to buy—into interested customers.
Pro Tip: Apply this content framework to enhance the impact of your videos
According to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, the algorithm actively analyses on-screen captions, audio, and post copy. These elements contribute to how content is recommended and surfaced to potential customers, ultimately enhancing your visibility:
- Voiceover: Use either a natural human voice or an AI-generated voice that feels familiar and relatable to audiences.
- On-screen Script: Add subtitles or captions to reinforce your message, engaging both visual and auditory senses.
- First 15 Seconds: Capture attention immediately with a strong hook—whether through striking visuals or curiosity-driven copy. Use quick cuts or dynamic shots to maintain interest.
- Duration: Keep videos concise, ideally between 15 seconds to 1 minute, avoiding unnecessary pauses or silence.
- Looping Effect: Design your video so the ending flows seamlessly back to the beginning, creating a natural loop that encourages repeat viewing.
Important Features on Instagram in 2025
Recommendation Feed
Instagram continues to connect business accounts with users through its constantly evolving algorithm, which is refined on a daily basis. A key focus of these updates is discoverability—helping users find accounts they may not know yet, but which share their interests or offer solutions to their needs.
Recommended content now frequently appears in user feeds. This means your feed is no longer limited to people you follow but also includes posts that Instagram predicts will align with your interests.
Naturally, business owners ask: how can my account be featured in recommendations organically? While Meta has not provided a definitive answer, there are several proven practices that can help:
- Maintain consistency: Instagram’s algorithm gathers data from every post. If your account becomes inactive for months, the system is less likely to boost your content when you return.
- Focus on content pillars: Concentrating on a clear, overarching theme and exploring it consistently helps build authority. Many agencies remain stuck in the same generic content pillars such as education, entertainment or hard sales, which rarely deliver results in 2025. At Digipixel we take a different approach. Our strategy is to design tailored content based on the unique nature of your business and the interests of your potential customers. This way your content does more than just fill a feed, it engages the right audience and turns them into warm leads or buyers.
- Use music strategically: Adding trending audio to static posts, carousels, or reels is a powerful way to increase reach. Popular sounds work like community pools—tying your content into broader conversations and trends, and boosting visibility in potential clients’ feeds.
Sharing and Saving Content
While not new, sharing and saving remain strong algorithmic signals. Whether a post is shared to someone’s Stories or sent via direct message, both are positive indicators that Instagram uses to increase the reach of that content.
Comments as a Driver of Discoverability
Comments do more than measure engagement as they provide valuable context for the algorithm. Posts that encourage conversation are more likely to be surfaced, as discussions help Instagram understand content relevance. Moreover, comments can inspire new posts, creating a cycle of interaction and engagement that strengthens both visibility and community.
Meta’s Verified Badge
Meta verification was originally reserved for certain creators, celebrities and brands that demonstrated credibility based on factors such as public interest, authenticity and uniqueness, confirmed through government ID verification. This free verification primarily targeted public figures, brands and organisations.
Today, Meta has expanded this feature by offering verification through a paid subscription, first for creators and later for businesses. This new model allows virtually any business to obtain the verified badge, along with several unique advantages:
- Direct links to your website – Meta Verified Plus subscribers and above can add external links directly to every organic post. This feature is particularly valuable as it creates a seamless pathway for users to visit your website, increasing traffic and potential conversions.
- Impersonation protection – With online scams on the rise, Meta offers enhanced security by monitoring and removing accounts that attempt to impersonate your business.
- Enhanced profile features – Verified businesses can showcase additional associated profiles and highlight physical store locations directly on their profile, strengthening credibility and trust.
See the subscription pricing details here.
Meta’s verified badge offers business owners tangible benefits that go beyond credibility. By enabling direct links to websites on organic posts, it helps drive traffic and sales opportunities, while enhanced impersonation protection safeguards brand reputation against scams. At the same time, a verified profile builds stronger trust with customers by highlighting authenticity and showcasing physical store locations, making it a valuable tool for SMEs looking to stand out and grow in 2025.
How Digipixel Helps Business Owners Win with Instagram’s Algorithm in 2025
Our approach to social media marketing centres on capturing the personality of each business, ensuring it stands out through strong and authentic content messaging. At Digipixel we believe that personalisation is the key to success. Every strategy we deliver is tailored to the unique needs of the business, bringing fresh ideas that empower owners to embrace digitalisation with confidence.
As both a social media marketing and web design agency, we accelerate growth by building a robust digital foundation. This begins with websites where conversions take place and extends to social media platforms where awareness and engagement are cultivated.
All the essential elements of digitalisation are packaged into accessible solutions starting from just S$980. Our services range from web design to search engine optimisation, giving business owners the flexibility to choose the areas of online marketing that matter most.
Discover our portfolio to explore case studies and see how Digipixel has helped businesses achieve measurable results.
